Insomnia
by Lostand1TreeHillfan
Summary: He's been gone for 6 years now. 2 years being chased by the law. 4 years were being spent in jail. He's coming home now. Still trying to carry the wieght of the world on his shoulders. AU LP. Re-write of Dreams of Nightmares.
1. City of Devils

**Disclaimer- I do not own anything about one tree hill and the songs I use, whether it may be used in the chapter, or chapter titles.**

**Chapter 1**

**City of Devils**

_The only light visible is from the crack at the bottom of the door in front of him. He begins to hear foot steps coming from the outside of the door. As they become louder and closer he tries to stand up, but his hands are tied to the back of the chair. Two shadows slowly make their way to the door. _

_The door is pushed open, and the man known as "Bear" enters. He turns on the light, and one solemn light bulb lights as much of the room as it can. Daunte walks into the room next with determination in his eyes. He stares at Lucas than nods his head at Bear. Almost immediately, Bear turns towered Lucas and begins punching him repeatedly. _

"_That's enough." Bear immediately stops and steps back. Lucas had blood oozing from his head. The scrapes and scratches caused by Bear are not visible due to the huge quantity of blood. _

_Lucas can't move his head but whispers, "What do you want from me?" _

"_Well, you see, I have been having a problem getting money out of my clients, and now I need the money back I loaned you."_

"_What are you talking about? You GAVE the money to me. You….you said no string attached." Lucas was trying to catch his breath._

"_I did, but I was wrong. I need the money and I want it now."_

"_I don't have to give anything to you. You, you tie me up to a chair and beat me senseless, and… now you just expect me to give you the 10,000 back? I don't HAVE to do anything."_

"_That's where your wrong Mr. Scott, you will pay back every cent I lent you." He took a brief pause to walk over to Lucas and pull his head up so he would look at him. " It would be an awful shame if the ground next to your uncle Keith got a little crowded, don't you think?"_

"_You wouldn't." Lucas dared. Starring directly into his eyes._

"_I don't know. You tell me. So many people to choose from, your best friend Haley, who if I understand right is currently pregnant; your brother; your mom who is also pregnant; or hell, even your best friend who by the way, your in love with." Daunte chuckled and turned away from Lucas. "I've killed men before, a few more won't ruin my reputation." _

_Lucas slowly lifted his head back up and looked towards Daunte. "What do I have to do?"_

_Daunte let out a loud laugh and looked back at him. "Glad we are on the same page now Mr. Scott. You know, your a lot weaker than your father. Smarter, but weaker." He begins to pace around the room, trying to think of a way to break him, to make him really suffer. "You see Scott that's your problem, you try to save everyone else. Even if they don't love you, you put everyone else in front of you. That Scott is your weakness." And then it clicked. "You'll start your first job tomorrow. You will meet me in the ally between the record store and abandoned apartment complex at 10 PM." He stopped pacing and set himself directly in front of Lucas starring into his eyes. "You will not tell anyone about our little discussion, you got that? Otherwise I will make your family suffer. You got that boy?"_

_Lucas just nodded his head in shame. _

_Daunte gets up and smiles. "Good." He turns and walks to the door. "Glad we had this conversation." Just before he walks out the door, he nods his head at Bear. Bear nods back and marches toward Lucas, raises his fist and then all Lucas sees is black…._

* * *

Lucas awakes with a start. His eyes snap open and he sits straight up, panting and sweating. He rubs his eyes and goes to sit at the end of the cot. The nightmares seem to be getting worse since he found out he was getting out on parole. Even though you couldn't really call them nightmares because it really happened to him, but the past sure does haunt him like nightmares do. He gets up and looks past the bars that are on his window. This would be the last day he would spend in this hell hole.

_Man once sang to me_

_Look at you saving the world on your own_

_And I wonder how things gonna be_

_As the time here it passes so slow_

The sun was just rising over the Texas horizon. He sighed and went over to the mirror. You could say that he wasn't really excited to get out. He had nowhere to go back to. The truth is, he didn't want to leave. Looking at his reflection and seeing how short his hair was, and the scruff he had grown since he last shaved. He couldn't believe how much he had changed in those 6 years since he left tree hill. He almost looked like a different person. In all reality he was. He was a broken, cold, and shallow man. His eyes were once a deep ocean blue are now cloud grey. His once scrawny body was now built from all the workout he got on all the lonely days he spent in jail. The marks on the wall by the bed was proof on exactly how long he had spent there. There were exactly 1480 marks, for the 4 years and 19 days he spent, slowly and painfully breaking more and more as the days wore on. Some days he spent feeling useless, and listless. But most importantly, he often felt dead.

_In a city of devils we live_

_A city of devils we live_

He reached into his back pocket for the only thing that made him feel that life was worth living, the one thing that made him feel alive; his picture. They were allowed to keep one personal item with them at all times, and that was his picture of him and Peyton.

_Find somebody to learn_

_Boy, you gotta love someone more than yourself_

_I can feel the fire of the city lights burn_

_And it's hard to find Angels in Hell_

The picture was taken during the summer between junior and senior year. Peyton and Lucas decided to go to the beach after Lucas went to work at the cafe_. _It was one of the greatest days of his life. That day he was able to forget about everything painful and just have fun. Peyton was wearing a deep red bikini and Lucas was wearing black swim trunks and black sunglasses. They decided that it would be cool to get a picture of them because they don't really have any when they are actually posing. They had asked a stranger to take the picture. It was of Lucas and Peyton sitting on a towel, and Peyton's back was against Lucas chest. Lucas was holding her around her waist, and they were both smiling. Even if they were just friends at the time, you couldn't deny that in the picture they looked like a couple.

_Flying along_

_And I _

_Feel like I don't belong_

_And I_

_Can't tell right from the wrong_

_And why have I been here so long?_

_In a city of devils we live_

_A city of devils we live_

Often in his darkest times, he would look at that picture for hours at a time; trying to forget his life behind these bars. During these moments, he would lie on his bed thinking about what she was doing, what his family, and his friends were doing. He always thought about what would have happened if he didn't go to jail, or if he didn't get involved with Daunte.

_Questions I can't seem to find_

_To the answers I already have_

_And you can't see the sky here at night_

_So I guess I can't make my way back_

He knew he was wasting his time thinking about what could have been, or the what ifs, but he didn't care. What else was he supposed to do in his time?

This day was just like other days. The only thing that was different was he would be getting out in about an hour. He would be leaving, once and for all.

Lucas put the picture back into his pocket and splashed his face with water. He dried his face and looked into the mirror. The only thing he sees is a broken man he can't recognize stare back at him. Lucas shakes his head and walks over to his bed and sits down.

_Flying along_

_And I _

_Feel like I don't belong_

_And I_

_Can't tell right from the wrong_

_And why have I been here so long?_

He puts his head in his hands an thinks about his painful past. I guess that's one thing about jail, it makes you think about your past and your mistakes. Its like a little kid in time out, the only difference is that the police takes you away from the people you love. The bad thing about all of this is Lucas took himself from the people he loved. He turned himself in, he plead guilty. Technically, he didn't do anything wrong, but it sure felt like he did.

"Scott!" A voice broke Lucas away from his thoughts as his head shoots up toward the booming voice. It was a prison guard. "It's time to go." He stands up, takes a deep breath, and looks around at his cell he has been living in for the past four years. He looks back at the guard and nods, and they make their way out of the cell.

-----------

"P Sawyer! It's time to go!" Brooke yells from the bottom of the stairs. They were supposed to get up early for the opening of the new Tric. Peyton had been working on its improving Tric for the last 9 months, and now it was ready for the re-opening.

Brooke had been waiting for Peyton for nearly ten minutes, so she decided to go and check on her. When she made her way up into her best friends room, she found Peyton sitting down on the bed holding a picture frame. She walked across the room and sat next to Peyton. It was no doubt about it that the picture was of Lucas.

Brooke was there the day Peyton found out Lucas had left and never planned on coming back. That day and into the night, she alone went through 3 boxes of Kleenex. Brooke wasn't able to get her to sleep for nearly two days. It took her best friend over a year to realize Lucas was never coming back. On a very rare occasion, she would still Peyton cry herself to sleep, and that's what killed her the most. There was nothing she could do. Although, Brooke did try to set her friend up with an occasional blind date, but they never went anywhere.

"You're still in love with him, aren't you?" Brooke hadn't asked that question in months, years probably, and she never really got a real answer.

Peyton took a deep breath still gazing at the picture frame. "I always will be." She never said that out loud, and it felt good to get it off her chest. Every time Brooke had asked, she would always try to shrug it off and change the subject.

_What if I wanted you here_

_Right now _

_Would you fall in the fire burn me down_

_If I wanted you here_

_Right now_

_Would you fall in the fire burn me down_

_If I wanted you here_

_Right now_

As Peyton gazes down at the picture she can't help but feel angry, sad, and confused. So many questions she has, so much she needed to tell him. She just wished she saw it coming so she could get into his head. "I just wish I could have told him."

"I know honey…" Brooke trailed off and happened to glance at her watch. "Oh my gosh! Peyton we better get going if we are going to be able to open up on time tonight." Peyton just continued to be lost in her thoughts.

_In a city of devils we live _

_a city of devils we live_

_In a city of..._

"I'll meet you downstairs Brooke." She looked up at Brooke and saw that she was concerned. "I'll be fine, I promise." Sadly she smiled to reassure her that she was going to be fine. Brooke didn't believe that, but Peyton didn't need her to worry about her. Brooke nodded and slowly left the room.

_Flying along_

_and I _

_feel like I don't belong_

_and I_

_can't tell right from the wrong_

_and why have I been here so long?_

Peyton got up from the bed, and took one last look at the picture before putting it back into her drawer. Before leaving the room she whispers softly, only to herself, "It's time to let go." She's been saying that for 5 years, and part of her has let go. The other part is just holding onto hope that he will come back someday. She sighs and quickly grabs her purse, closing her bedroom door as she walks downstairs.

-----------

Lucas grabs his belongings from the prison guard, which is only a backpack mostly just full of a toothbrush, a comb, and the jacket he wore four years ago. They gave him time to shave before he came out, and gave him a fresh pair of cloths, which was only an old pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. He was also able to get his sunglasses back, which made him happy. The guard gave him the money he had earned while working in the prison. He got 3,500. It was more than enough to get him back to Tree Hill. He wasn't sure if he was going to stay in Tree Hill, but he wanted to see how everybody was, or even if they still lived there.

They begin to walk toward the exit; each step Lucas takes he feels further and further from reality. When he was behind bars he never felt safer, minus the couple of fights he got into when he was there. Jail was kind of like a sanctuary to him. They made it to the gate, where a bus was waiting to take him into the town. He walked closer to the bus, never remember feeling this scared in four years. Once he got out, he looked back just in time to see the gates close and the prison guard go back to his duties.

_I don't belong_

_don't belong_

_I've been here too long_

_too long_

He was now a free man.

**A/N: Review if you want to. I don't really care. I suck at udating, but for those of you who have read this before, I'm starting over with this story completely. I'm going to really try to write most of this out, but I have the first two chapters done and I'm writing the third right now. Who knows, maybe I'll finish it…**


	2. Behind Closed Doors

**A/N: I forgot to mention, the title of the story is from the song "Insomnia" by Electric President, one of my favorite songs. I guess this song basically sums up this story. So check it out if you want. P.S. Short chapter. The next two are longer. **

**Chapter 2**

**Behind Closed Doors**

_Lucas awoke to the sound of pounding at his side door of his bedroom. "Lucas come on, I know you're in there!" He head was throbbing when he sat up. The room was spinning and he felt like someone ran over his head. He sat at the edge of the bed, when the knocking finally stopped. He knew it was Peyton, and it was only an amount of time before she found her way inside. _

_Lucas got up off the bed and went to look in the mirror. Bear really did a toll on his face. His whole left cheek was black and blue, and his forehead was covered in dried blood. Apparently when they knocked him out in that closet, they brought him back here. _

_He looked over at his nightstand, and right there were the spare keys he kept underneath the flowerpot on the deck. He could hear Peyton make her way through the house, so he quickly decided to go get cleaned up as fast as he could. What was he going to tell her? The truth? No, he couldn't do that. _

"_Lucas you in here?" Lucas just made it into the bathroom before Peyton made it into his bedroom. _

"_Yah, I'll be out in a second." Lucas was trying to wash the blood off his forehead, and wash the remaining blood from his shirt. When he couldn't get the blood off his shirt, he just decided he would take it off and grab a spare shirt that was on the floor. When he took it off, his whole chest up to the top of his neck was black and blue. That must have been from when they ambushed him at the river court, and knocked him out. _

"_Lucas are you okay? We were supposed to meet at the café for dinner, and when you didn't show up I got worried." Peyton said from behind the closed door. _

"_Ummm…Yah, sorry….I just…I got held up." Lucas new he would pay for that later, lying to her. He got dressed and tried his best to look normal, but that was difficult because of the bruises in his face. He had to come up with an excuse and quick._

"_Yah that's okay, I just wanted to come by and make sure you were okay…Are you okay?" She could hear the worry in his voice, and she could feel that there was something wrong. She always could read him like a book, even when he was behind a closed door._

_He came out of the bathroom, and he could hear her gasp. He looked up to find her hand over her mouth with a look of concern and worry on her face. He smiled lightly, "Yah, I'm fine…my head just hurts is all." he knew he shouldn't joke about it, but he didn't know what to say._

"_Oh my god! Luke what happened?" She rushed over and put a hid on his cheek to examine it, until he winced. She quickly took her had away, and put it on his chest, and that's when he immediately stepped back and she saw his face turn beat red. _

_He put his head down ashamed. When he finally looked up, she had tears in her eyes. One lonely tear began to fall before she came over to him, and began to button down his shirt. She was doing it as gently as she could, but Lucas was making it difficult trying to protest, she just swatted away his hands. He finally gave up after a while. _

_Peyton just stood there in shock. She lightly grazed her fingers across his chest. Lucas took another step back; not because of pain, but because of the electricity going through him at the feel of her touch. "Sorry…Lucas, what…what happened?" _

_Lucas didn't know what to say. He was trying to think of the best excuse he could. "I guess the pick-up game got a little too rough…" _

_She looked up into his eyes and noted that he didn't look into her eyes when he said that. He wasn't telling the whole truth. She wasn't going to press him on it though. She just gently brought him into a loving hug. Once they broke, Lucas brought his hand and cupped her cheek. He used his thumb to gently brush away the one stray tear that fell._

"_Come on." He told her gently, and buttoned his shirt back up. "I'll make us some dinner." _

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"Last stop, Whiteville." Lucas' head snapped toward the voice broke him out of his thoughts to the front of the bus. "Last stop, Whiteville." He quickly got up out of the seat, grabbed his backpack and got off the bus. It was pouring rain outside and he still had about 10 miles back to tree hill. When he got out of jail and into the town, he grabbed a bus that was headed east. Right into North Carolina and past Raleigh. He took another buss to Whiteville. The closest town to Tree Hill from the west. It was only 10 am, so he would be able to get to Tree Hill by about 9 at night if he walked. Since no one was going to pick up a hitchhiker, he decided to take his chance walking.

He wasn't quiet sure why he was going back. He wasn't sure if anyone was going to be there. Even if they were there, he was planning on spending only a few days there before he would leave for good. He just needs closure that everyone is happy. He doesn't want to cause any trouble. He knows if he were seen by any of his family or friends, he wouldn't leave.

That was something he never wanted to do. He didn't want to show the pain he was in everyday. That was something he learned on his three months in the city. No one cared about anyone. You would learn to suck up your pain and live with it.

Over the past four years he hasn't shown anything. When he was being beaten, he didn't show he was in pain; he didn't show love; he didn't show friendship; and most importantly, he didn't show weakness. The only thing he was _allowed_ to show, was anger and hate. He was a locked door. You couldn't get anything out of him. When he was in jail, he never spoke; hell, when he was in court, the only thing he said was, 'I plead guilty.' He didn't fight it, he knew what he had done and he was going to pay for it. They would lock him up anyway, so he decided to save some time and plead guilty. It was just easier that way.

Hours later he reached the out skirts of Tree Hill. It was just about 8:30. The rain had stopped hours ago, and he was basically dry. As he made his way through town, he noticed nothing much had changed.

Soon enough, he came across a "Cloths Over Bros". He smiled. He knew Brooke had started her own clothing line. He heard some people talking about it on the bus. There was a flyer in the window. It was the grand opening of Tric. He remembered when his mom opened it before he left. She had said that she was going to eventually give it to Peyton. He sighed, and adjusted his backpack on his shoulder. When he was just about to walk away, he heard a voice from the past.

"Hey, can I help you?" Lucas took a deep breath and turned around. _Brooke._

He cleared his throat, and nodded no. "No, I'm just looking."

Brooke looked uneasy at him, "Have I seen you before? You seem so familiar." She came down the stairs and walked toward him to get a better look.

He quickly shook his head and adjusted his sunglasses. "No." He took a step back because she was getting to close for his comfort. "I'm…I'm from Texas, so unless you've been there, you haven't seen me."

She smiled. "Yeah, I guess your right. Sorry, it's just…you…" she laughed quietly, almost to herself, "You remind me of someone I once knew."

He smirked. _Bad move. _Her smile immediately dropped. She knew that smile. "It's okay, maybe I'll see you around." He turned away quickly, but not quickly enough to here her reply.

"Yeah, maybe you will."

Lucas knew he was in trouble now. He quickly made his way across the street and looked back over at Brooke, she was still standing there watching him as he made his way around the corner.

Eventually he found his way to Tric. He decided before he gets a motel room to get a drink. He puts his backpack behind the dumpster, along with his sunglasses. It would be kind of awkward if he walked inside with glasses.

Lucas walked into Tric, not entirely aware that his family would be in the same place. He had to blend in, and try not to be recognized. It wasn't going to be to hard because of how much he changed.

He couldn't see anyone he knew, so he decided to get a drink. Once he got his drink he began walking from the bar, but he was paying so much attention to making sure he didn't see anyone he knew, he bumped into someone and he dropped his glass. That's when he noticed whom he ran into. _"Peyton"._

**Review if you feel like it. I'm debating when to post the next one, because as of right now, I do not have chapter 4 done. I am stuck with the ending, its really pissing me off. But I had these two previously written, and if you want me to post the next one sooner (chapter 3) I need some persuasion *cough cough*. Then maybe I can get this ending done. Lol.****Thanks so much for the reviews!!**


	3. Guilty Conscience

A/N: I made a mistake last chapter. It said 3 months in the city, I meant to say being in the city. Just ignore the time frame. The rest will be explained later. I thought I got all that when I was re-writing this story, sorry.

Chapter 3

Guilty Conscience

He looked down at the glass that had just broken. "Oh my god, I'm sorry." _oh shit….. _He looked up into the eyes he remembered from so many years ago. She was just as he remembered, except more mature and grown. Her curls were lightly falling into her beautiful innocent emerald eyes, her curves had filled out nicely underneath the tight spaghetti strap tank top and tight pair of jeans. He just stood there gazing at her, while she was trying to pick up the broken glass. _Say something you idiot_

"No, it's okay, it was my fault." He said as he bent down. She finally looked at him, and it seemed she was too, at loss for words. "I got this." He quickly picked up the glass with no problem, and put it on a nearby tray. She was still sitting on the ground picking up the tiny pieces.

He put his hand out to help her up. She graciously took his hand. He pulled her up to quickly and she ended up holding onto his chest to steady herself. She looked down to hide her blush, but didn't pull away. For some reason she felt as if she had seen him before.

She stepped back to get a better look, when she say a hint of blood on his shirt. He noticed it too, but looked down to her finger. "Uh…you're bleeding." He said nervously. He looked back to the bar tender and asked for a band-aid. He grabbed a napkin and motioned for Peyton to sit down.

"You know, I can take care of myself." Peyton said to the stranger with a smirk, as he wiped off the blood with the napkin.

"I know you can, but you did hurt yourself on _my_ glass. So I'm doing this." He continued to stop the bleeding, refusing to meet her gaze.

"You look really familiar…. do I know you from somewhere." She asked as he was putting on the band-aid.

"I don't know…do you?" He was flirting with danger right now, but he didn't really care.

Peyton thought for a moment. She knew she saw him before, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "No, probably not." She lied. "My name's Peyton." She thought maybe if she knew his name she could figure out who he was. She had a clue of who he was, but didn't want to get her hopes up.

Lucas finally looked at her. "Nice to meet you." He said as he shook her hand.

He saw her smile again, "You're not going to tell me your name are you?" He smiled back and looked around the club before looking back at her.

"No." he answered simply. He saw her face fall slightly. "It was nice to meet you Peyton." He started to walk away, but turned around when he heard her speak.

"At least let me buy you a beer." She tried once more. She didn't want to let him go for some reason.

"I don't drink." He smiled, turned and walked away.

She was about to go after him when someone sat next to her. "Hey best friend, great turnout tonight." Brooke noticed she was being ignored and looked to what she was looking at. "Peyton?" Peyton slowly turned to Brooke. "Do you know him?" She asked cautiously.

"No, why? Do you."

"Well no…but I did see him outside my store just a couple of hours ago." She wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but brought it up anyway. "Do you…do you think we've seen him before."

"You got that idea too huh."

"Well yeah, he looks a lot like-" Before she could finish she was interrupted.

"Lucas…" she finished.

"Yeah." Brooke saw Haley walking by and pulled her by the arm.

"Hey what was that for?" She asked rubbing her arm looking at Brooke.

"Look at that guy over there. Black shirt, brownish buzzed hair…" Haley was still looking around trying to spot him. Brooke sighed annoyingly. "Sitting down on the other bar with a can of coke in front of him." That narrowed it down.

"Yeah I see him, what about him?" she asked looking toward Brooke and Peyton.

"_Who_ does he look like?" Brooke asked.

"I don't know…" Then she trailed off. "Lucas." She whispered a couple seconds later.

Brooke sighed. "That's what we said." They didn't notice they were starring until Nathan came up from behind and wrapped his arms around Haley's waist.

"You know, your going to start to scare that poor guy." None of them were paying attention. "Uhhhh…guys?"

"Nate, who does that guy look like to you?" Haley needed to know if it was true. "The one at the bar, with the coke."

Nathan looked and saw the guy but didn't really pay attention to what he was saying. " I guess he kind of looks like Lucas. Why?" That's when the girls all looked at him. "What?"

"That's what we all said too." Peyton explained. Nathan finally got the hint.

"Oh…but I mean he's been gone for six or so years. Do you honestly think he would come back just like that?" Nathan couldn't believe it. _His brother was back?_

They all watched him get up from the bar, coke in hand, and go to the back room. Peyton got up to go follow him. "Peyton…" Brooke trailed off trying to pull Peyton back.

"No Brooke, I'm going to see if it's him." She yanked her arm away and headed to walk into the backroom.

Lucas knew they were starring at him when he bought his coke. He paid for it and decided to walk out the back way to get out. He noticed Nathan and Haley had joined them, and he figured they knew who he was. As he made his way into the back room he stopped at the public telephone to make a call.

It rang once, twice, and then they picked up on the third ring. _"Jack Travis."_

"Hey Jack, it's Luke."

"_Lucas Scott. It's about damned time you called."_

"Yeah, I just got out this morning." He heard him laugh.

"_Nice job. Good behavior?"_

"Yeah. But..um. Listen. I need your help." Lucas paused to look around to make sure it was just him.

"_Your in Tree Hill aren't you." _Jack sounded angry._ "You know that's the first place he'll look don't you?" _

Lucas sighed. "Yeah, I know. But I just wanted to check on my family, one last time."

Jack interrupted again. _"I know you did. But you're putting them in danger. Especially if they know your there. You remember what happened to my family? I know you do. Do you want that to happen to yours too?"_

Lucas got angry. "Yes! I know what happened, but I don't need a lecture right now. I don't want that to happen, that's why I need your help!"

"_Fine, but answer me this, do they know your there?"_

He didn't hear him reply. _"They know your there. Don't they?"_ He asked with a hint of exasperation.

"I don't know if they do, but it seems like it." Lucas paused. "I need to get out of here fast. Can you come pick me up?"

Jack sighed. _"I'm in Raleigh right now. I can be there in about 2 hours." _

"Thanks man, I owe you one."

Jack laughed again, _"You owe me a few Luke. I'll be there. Call me for where I should pick you up."_ Then he hung up.

Lucas hung up the phone and sighed leaning his head against the phone.

"Got out of where?" First question of many Peyton had. She came around the corner having heard the whole conversation. "_Lucas_." She added a moment later.

Lucas looked like a deer in the headlights, but just for a split second. "I don't know what you're talking about." He quickly turned around and headed for the door. Peyton hot on his heals.

"Yes, I think you do! I know who you are. _Lucas_." He didn't turn around; he just kept going down the dark hallway, speeding up his waking. "Don't make me run!" He took a sharp turn to the right; so then she sped up to a jog. She turned right then ran right into his chest. But before she could fall over he grabbed her by the waist and brought her close to him.

"You shouldn't be here." He spoke, looking into her eyes.

She shivered unconsciously as his breath hit her face. She swallowed hard, taking a breath. "_You_ shouldn't be here." He looked down. She slowly brought his chin up to look at her. "Lucas?" He looked at her guiltily. He let her go quickly and turned around to walk out the door. When it wouldn't open he took a deep-ridged breath and kicked it open with his foot and jumped down the first flight of stairs.

He then noticed the stairs ended there. He looked down and he still had a 25-foot drop. He looked back up at Peyton who was slowly making her way down the stairs. He thought fast and decided to jump off the stairs, well, over the railing, down onto the dumpster, but it went wrong. Instead of landing on his feet, he landed on the side of body. Slowly, Lucas rolled off the dumpster then onto the ground with a thud. The last time he did that, it worked better. "_Damn it._" He murmured. He let the pain dull in his leg, before slowly getting up.

Lucas felt a pair of arms around his waist as he was getting up. "Still can't fly, now can you superman…" it wasn't a question more like a statement. He knew it was Brooke. One of her many nicknames for him. He tried to stand on the right leg, but nearly collapsed. He glanced down and saw a rather big piece of glass sticking out of his leg, right above his knee. He felt another pair of hands trying to support him. Peyton. He saw that she had pulled down the fire escape to get down.

Without thinking, he pulled the piece of glass out with his hand, slowly. He could hear one of them gasp, but couldn't look up. He grunted as he finally pulled it out. Lucas pulled away from them and slowly began to walk, or hobble, over to get his bag.

"Lucas-" Peyton protested. He reached his backpack and pulled out a white t-shirt. He tore it in half, and glanced to look at his wound. It wasn't bleeding badly, but it looked really deep. He sighed loudly. "_Son of a bitch."_

He heard Peyton come over. "Lucas. That looks really deep, we should take you to the hospital." She sounded really concerned. But he just ignored her, wrapped the t-shirt around the wound and tied it as tight as he could.

Brooke saw that Peyton was struggling to get him to listen. So she walked over and forced him to look at her. " Peyton's right. You should get that checked out." Lucas looked at both of them. He shook his head no.

"Luke I really think-"

"I'll take care of it later." Lucas interrupted Peyton.

Lucas reached back down into his backpack, but stopped when Peyton's hand fell on to his. "Lucas." She said slowly. "What happened to you?"

He looked back at her. "Life happened." He told her gravely as he pulled his hand away quickly and grabbed his leather jacket and sunglasses, then zipped his backpack back up.

"Lucas, _please_, you can tell me anything!" Peyton was desperate now; she didn't want him to leave.

"No, no I really can't tell you anything." Lucas said as he put on his leather jacket.

"Lucas you can't run from any of this! You've been doing it for the past 6 years!"

He paused briefly. "Yeah, maybe I can't. But I can try."

Brooke decided to step in when she saw Lucas grab his backpack about to leave. "What happened to you Lucas? What made you this way? You used to be able to tell us anything. Don't you trust us anymore?"

Lucas didn't like her tone. It was judging, and angry. "No, I don't trust anyone anymore Brooke! I can't. Not anymore." He was getting more angry watching them stand there waiting for more answers. "You want to know why I'm like this? You really want to know _why_?!" By the end he was practically screaming. "I've been through so much in the past couple of years that people only have nightmares about. I've been through it. And yeah, part of it was my doing." He chuckled. "Actually _all_ of it was my fault. If I hadn't got involved with him…" Lucas began to trail off when he felt tears begin fall from his eyes.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. "I nearly beat people to death for money. _I_ was nearly beat to death for not getting _their_ money. I watched men kill others, and I didn't do anything to stop it. I could of, but I didn't. I'm a coward, that's what I am. Just like my _father_." He spit the last word out like it was poison, and ended there. Wiped his tears, put on his sunglasses and started to hobble off toward the street.

"Lucas, _please_! You can't keep running!" Peyton pleaded.

Lucas turned around only to say, "Like you said I've been doing this for six years." He paused briefly to look down the dark road in the direction he was heading. "A few more won't hurt." He said more to himself, then to her. But she heard it clearly. He looked back once more at her and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry." He said as he turned around and began walking. "It's for your own good."

A/N: Please review if you want. If you don't like something, tell me. If you like something, tell me. If you have an idea, tell me. I'm open to ideas. Share your thoughts. I like to know what you think. Thanks to those of you for the reviews. Next one will be up when I post it…

OH! How awesome was OTH last night?! Amazing!! Loved LP. Lol.


	4. Without Granting Innocence

**Chapter 4**

**Without Granting Innocence**

"_Try to slip past his defense, without granting innocence."_

* * *

It was about 15 minutes, ½ mile later that Peyton pulled up to Luke as he was limping down the side of the road. His breath was ridged and face red with pain. His leg started to bleed about 10 minutes ago, and hasn't stopped since. Lucas was planning to stop and stitch up his leg with the sewing kit in his backpack, but he's been preoccupied with his thoughts.

Peyton parked the car ahead of him, got out, and stalked back toward Lucas. Even from about 20 yards, he could see the fire in her eyes, and the tear stains on her face. Lucas stopped and waited for her to come closer. When she got about 10 feet from him, she pointed her finger at him, "You know, you have got some nerve! You know that?" She kept walking and when she got to him, she pulled her hand back and slapped him in his face. Lucas stumbled slightly. She apparently got stronger in those 6 years too.

She didn't give him anytime to reply, "I'm sorry? It's for your own good?" She mocked him. "It's for your own good? What the hell kind of response is that?" She was fuming. Lucas took a step back. "I'll tell you, you said the exact fucking thing to me six years ago before you left!" She paused to wipe away the tears that made their way down her face. "You do remember that don't you? The day you lied to me. The day you ran away from your problems, and the day you said you weren't coming back!"

* * *

Flashback- About 6 Years Ago…

"Come on." He told her gently, and buttoned his shirt back up. "I'll make us some dinner."

Lucas led Peyton out into the kitchen to get dinner started. "Is my mom working late again?" Lucas asked, as he was looked for a pot to cook the spaghetti noodles in.

"Yeah." She cleared her throat as she went to the cupboard and pulled out a pot he could use. He smiled as best as he could and took the pot from her. "She told me to tell you not to wait up." His mom had been working long hours since she found out about the baby. It turned out Keith had some debts he had to pay off before he died; his mother was left with them and a baby to pay for.

Lucas tried to help as much as he could, but it wasn't enough. That's when Daunte found him. He gave Lucas ten grand to pay off Keith's debt. Lucas still had the money; he was going to wait to cash it in tomorrow, and do whatever Daunte told him to do. He just didn't want to give the money back. Not now that he had it anyway.

He sighed, "Great" he murmured sarcastically, poring the noodles in. Karen was always so tired when she got home from work, and he knows the stress isn't good for the baby.

"Lucas." Peyton said to get his attention. Lucas turned from the stove and watched at her make her way towards him. She got to him and fixed his collar that was askew. "What really happened to you?" She figured it was time to get it strait.

"Nothing you need to worry about." He deadpanned a he turned to get sauce from the cupboard and pour it into a pan. She paused his movements as she pulled him back in front of her.

"Apparently it is, otherwise you wouldn't be lying about it." She caught him right there. He knew she caught him. He was about to say something when he glanced at the clock. 9:45.

"_Shit._" he murmured under his breath. "Peyt, do you think you can finish this up? I forgot I need to meet someone." He interrupted her when she was about to protest. "_Please_? I'll tell you everything when I get home. Okay?" She bowed her head and nodded. He then lifted her head up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He smiled down at her but she didn't return it. He brought her into a hug and whispered, "I'm okay. I promise." He felt her nod into his shoulder. Lucas gave her one more kiss on the top of her head and walked out the door.

--

Lucas got to the apartment complex two minutes late, but he breathed a sigh of relief when no one was there. He decided to sit down on the side steps down in the alley. He only waited another five more minutes before a car came down the alley. Dauntes car. He saw two figures get out. One came forward the other went back towards the trunk.

"Well, well. Mr. Scott. It's good to see we didn't have to drag you down here." Daunte snickered. "Sorry we're late. We ran into trouble with one of our clients." Just as he said that, Bear comes up from behind with a man handcuffed behind his back, a blindfold put on and a gag in his mouth. Lucas stood with a confused look on his face. Daunte looked back toward the man as he lit a cigarette. "Yep, he sure gave us a good run. But we got him."

Another car pulled up the other side of the alley blocking both exits. This car kept its headlights on though. Only one man came out. He was about the same height as Lucas, maybe a bit taller, but a lot more muscular. He looked about the same age too. He wore a black jacket, with a gray hoodie under it. His jeans were torn at the knee, and his black boots were covered in mud. His face held a little scruff, and his hair was jet black. You couldn't tell the color of his eyes until he took off his sunglasses; light blue eyes.

"Wow. Did Jack Travis actually show up? My eyes must be deceiving me…"Daunte taunted.

Jack ignored that comment. "Sorry I'm late. Traffic was a mess."

"Well. I think its time for introductions don't you?" Daunte said as he clapped his hands together. "Lucas Scott, I'd like you to meet Jack Travis. My 'Hired Gun'. Or as I like to call him, my 'Iceman'." He finished with a laugh. "Jack, I'd like you to meet your partner, Lucas Scott."

Lucas figured out what this was, but he wanted to make sure. "What? Partner for what?"

Daunte took a step forward, "Oh, Lucas, I though you were smarter than that. He's my hit man. Well, sort of. He does my dirty work." Lucas looked to Bear for a second. Daunte saw this. "My other dirty work." The guy in the corner started to get restless. "So Lucas, ready for your first job?"

Lucas took a tentive step forward. "It depends. What is it?" Daunte smiled, pulled a knife out of his pocket and threw it at Lucas. He caught it, and Daunte pointed to the blindfolded man. Lucas got what he was trying to say. "No. No, I'm not going to do it."

Daunte laughed stepped up to Lucas and punched him square in the jaw. This sent Lucas back and into the brick wall. "It's your life or his? What's it gonna be?" Again he slammed the knife into Lucas' hands. Before Lucas could do anything, Daunte was suddenly pushed away and the knife was taken out of Lucas' hands.

Jack took the knife out of the pouch and stabbed the man in the leg. This caused the man to start screaming, so Jack punched him once in the head. The screaming stopped. Jack pulled the knife out of the leg, brushed the blade off with his pants, stuck it back in its case and threw it back to Daunte.

Daunte stood there stunned. "Wow. Bravo." He said once again clapping his hands. "See Lucas, you'll be able to do that eventually." He looked over at Jack. "But Lucas should have done that. Besides, I wanted him dead."

"We both know he wouldn't be able to do that. Besides, if I have a partner, I want him alive." Jack smiled at Daunte, "You didn't say to kill him. You want him dead, do it yourself." Jack paused and glanced over at Lucas. "Go get in the car." He turned his gaze back to Daunte. "And you better get out of here before the cops actually decide to care about what your doing." Daunte smiled and handed him an envelope.

Lucas got to the car and got in. He could see the exchange and watched as Daunte and Bear walked back to the car, get in and drive off.

Jack came back to the car and opened the driver's side door. "Hey, I need your help. Come here." He said as he got out a t-shirt and a bottle of alcohol from the back and went back the unconscious man. Lucas got out quickly and followed. He watched as Jack ripped open the pant leg down by the shin, and poor alcohol on the wound. He then poured it on the t-shirt and wrapped his leg in it. He got up, "Grab the feet." He told Luke, and he grabbed on the shoulders.

Lucas did as instructed as they carried the man to the truck, where Jack opened the back door and they put him in. They both got back in the car. Jack started the car and sped out of the alley.

They were driving in silence for the first 10 minutes or so when Lucas broke the silence. He cleared his throat, "Where are we going?"

"We're going to drop this guy off at his house, and then I'm taking you home." Jack said without looking at him. He sighed, "I figured you wanted to say goodbye to your family before we leave."

Lucas started to panic. "Leave? Why do I have to leave?"

Jack finally looked at him as he pulled up to a stoplight. It was about 11:30, so no other cars were around. "We leave for a job tonight. Then after that, you can't come back until you finish your job, or until you pay off your debt. It's not a good idea to be around your family when doing this. Where you are, Daunte is. And you don't want him near your family."

"Why?"

"If you do something wrong, he'll either kill you, or kill one of them. In my personal opinion, you want to be as far away from them as possible. So if you do something wrong, you can try to get back to your family before he gets there. Maybe you can save them." He paused briefly and looked back at the road when the light turned green. "But it's easier to just do as your told."

"Why didn't you kill him? I mean that's what Daunte wanted. Wasn't it?" Lucas pointed to the guy in the back seat.

"Did you want me to kill him?" Jack paused and chuckled. "I like to end my nights with no one dead. To answer your other question, yes, Daunte wanted him dead. But I've never killed someone, and I don't want to start tonight." Lucas looked rather shocked. "I'm not a monster. Just a stupid kid who got involved with the wrong people. Just like you."

Lucas knew he was right, about him being stupid, but tried to ignore it. "When did you get involved with Daunte?" Since he was going to be stuck with this guy, he figured he might want to get to know him.

"Three years ago. I was 18, your age. I had a wife that had no parents or siblings and wanted to go to college. I needed the money, and Daunte answered." Jack answered simply. They spent the rest of the drive in silence until he pulled up to Lucas' house.

"I thought-"

"I know what you thought." He paused, "Lesson one: don't do what you say your going to do, especially to Daunte. He's always one step ahead of you. Remember that. Now go say goodbye to your family. Pack a small backpack only of the stuff you need. And do _not _tell them what's going on. The less they know, the better. Ok?" Lucas nodded, got out and closed the door.

--

Lucas entered the house quietly. The kitchen light was on and noticed Peyton was sitting at the table. "Nice of you to come home." She glanced at the clock. "At 12 o'clock." She finished shortly.

"Yeah." Lucas whispered. "Is my mom home?"

"Yeah she is. She came right home and went to bed. She'll be out for a while."

"Ok." Lucas sighed and walked right into his bedroom. This wasn't going to be easy, but he needed to do it fast.

He started to pack his backpack. He put his toothbrush, his comb and a couple of t-shirts and jeans into the bag. Somewhere along the way Peyton came into the room. "What are you doing?" She asked, with a bit of panic in her voice.

"Leaving." He told her simply. He grabbed an envelope on his desk and went towards his mom's room. He walked in quietly and set the envelope down with a little note attached to it. When he came out, he almost ran into Peyton.

"What do you mean your _leaving_?" She just about shouted. Lucas shushed her and shut his mom's door. And walked back into his room, as Peyton followed and shut his door.

"I mean I'm leaving." Lucas sighed, as he made sure there was nothing else to pack.

"That just doesn't make sense, Lucas. Why? When are you coming back? Does this have anything to do with the bruises all over your face-" She was going to ask more but Lucas interrupted her when he engulfed her into a hug.

"I'm leaving because I have to, I don't know when I'm coming back, and yes." He paused, pulled her back from his embrace and noticed tears starting to fall from her eyes. He began to wipe them away, but she just smacked away his hands.

"No! No! You just can't do this. You just can't leave! Why can't you just let me in and tell me what's wrong?! We…we're supposed to be able to do that! We're best friends! If you tell me what's wrong, we can fix it! Can't we?" She pleaded. She was confused, angry, and heartbroken. Lucas could see it in her eyes, and that just about killed him.

Lucas took another step closer and shook his head no. Lucas brought her into one more hug and whispered; "I love you." He began to feel tears start to fall from his eyes, so he pulled back, and kissed her cheek. He wiped away her remaining tears, and sadly smiled. He went to pick up his backpack, put on his leather jacket, and made his way to the door, but last minute grabbed a picture of him and her that was on his bulletin board and put it into in jacket pocket.

"Lucas…" He turned back around to see more tears make their way down her face. "We can still fix this."

He shook his head. "No, _we_ can't." He slowly made his way outside down the walkway.

"Lucas…" He heard her call once he closed the gate.

"I'm sorry…It's for your own good." He walked towards the truck, not taking one look at the blond still on his porch. He threw his bag into the back trunk, and got into the car.

Peyton watched the car drive off as she whispered, "I love you too."

* * *

"Peyt..." He began desperately.

"No! You don't get call me that. Only my friends can call me that."

"I never said I wasn't coming back I said-" He set down his backpack and took a step closer, she didn't back away, so that gave Lucas the hint she was starting to calm down.

"Oh I remember what you said, but after six years, you start to get the hint their not coming back." She put her hand over her mouth to choke back a sob. "Your mom needed you Lucas. Do you know what it was like to tell her that her son left in the middle of the night? Do you know how heartbroken she was?" Lucas was about to interrupt, but Peyton was on a roll. "Haley needed you, Lucas. _I_ needed you." She paused to collect herself. Lucas looked down defeated. This was not how he expected his night to go. She seemed as if she was done speaking for the time being, so Lucas decided it was his turn.

"Look, Peyton. I get your mad, confused, and hurt…I get it…I do. And I wish that I could take it back. I wish I could take it all back." He glanced back up and began walking toward Peyton, slowly. Keeping his eyes on hers. "But I can't." He was merely inches in front of her when he grabbed her shoulders gently. She didn't pull away and he let out a sigh of relief. "I'm so sorry Peyton. I…I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to hurt anyone."

Lucas stepped a little closer, and pulled Peyton into a hug. He doesn't know why he does it, but he knows both of them need the comfort. "God….Peyt. I'm so _sorry_." Tears start to make their way down his face and she knows it. Her mind is telling her to let go and tell him sorry isn't god enough. But she can't. She hates to admit it, but it feels good to be back in his arms.

They don't know how long they stand there, but they don't care. It's only when Lucas pulls back he hears her whisper, "I missed you."

He smiles down at her sadly. "I missed you too." He's leaning on his bad leg, which causes it to bleed more. Peyton notices his discomfort and his pale complexion. She looks down at his leg and gasps.

"Luke-"

"It's okay. I just need to stitch it up." He smirked at her concern.

"No, I'm taking you to the hospital." She starts to head towards her car, but he grabs her hand and pulls her back around.

"No!" He says quickly. He clears his throat, "No hospitals. Please." Peyton's notes his discomfort, and nods.

"Okay, where are you staying?"

"Wherever I decide to stop for the night…" He says bluntly. Peyton sighs.

"You're staying with me and Brooke." She saw that he was about to protest. "I won't take no for an answer." She says sternly grabbing his hand leading him towards her car. "Come on."

Lucas nods his head, and follows her to her car.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I should be studying for finals I have tomorrow but lets face it, writing is so much better than studying. And I like to thank you for the reviews! They're awesome! I hope it was worth the wait. I really don't like the ending, but w/e. **

--------What do you think of Jack? Good? Bad? Too soon to tell? I like to hear your thoughts…Please REVIEW! I love reading your insights!


	5. Author's Note

**A/N:**

**Hello fellow readers,**

**I realize I haven't updated this in….wow, 7 or so months. I didn't realize it was that long. I don't have any excuses, I guess I just kinda lost interest in this story. Usually when I write, it's when I'm depressed or stressed. This is what I do when I need time to myself. But since I really have been busy, I don't have time to be stressed…if that makes sense. **

**But anywho….I need your help. I need some ideas for this story. Anything at all. It could be little scenes I can throw here and there, or it could be one whole idea. Anything at all would help me out, and possible give me the drive I need to get on writing. **

**I had a chapter of Placebo ¾ of the way written for about four months before I knew how to end it, and was able to post it. I currently have ¼ of a chapter of **_**Blind Love (this will be no more than 10 chapters) **_**done, and half a chapter done for **_**The Girl he Left Behind (this is only 3 chapters long)**_**.**

**For those of you who don't read those stories, I would recommend checking them out when your bored…I'll give you a sneak peak of each story.**

**Blind Love- Chapter 1: Strangers**

"He might be a little…_different_ then the guys you've dated before."

"Why? Is he crazy or something?"

"Peyton, she said _different_ from the guys you dated…" Brooke tried to joke, but Peyton gave her a stern look. "Sorry, her words not mine."

"Anyway, what's wrong with him?"

"Oh Peyton, nothing is _wrong_ with him. He's perfectly normal…he's just…."

"He's what?"

"He's blind."

**The Girl he Left Behind- Chapter 2: Whiskey Lullaby**

He can't hear anymore, can't think anymore. All he can feel is that pain in his chest. He can't stand to feel it anymore. He paces over to the wall, slamming his right fist into it, creating a hole. He does the same to the left, just in a different spot. Lucas doesn't stop until the knuckles are good and red, soaked with blood. But it doesn't work. He still feels it. He begins to dig through the mess to find the one thing that always numbs the pain. He finds the bottle and begins to chug it excessively. He's already had too much, but he can't stop. Once the bottle is good and gone, he chucks it behind him, hearing it shatter against one of the bookcases.

The pain is gone. He collapses against the bathroom doorway, knowing full well the liquid will shortly make its way back up his throat.

It does so faster than he expected. He barley makes it to the toilet before the bile passes his lips. He sits there for a good five minutes contently empting his stomach before he hears a voice in the distance.

"Lucas, open the door man." Nathan? "Lucas come on!" More banging. God, just let it stop. "Lucas! Lucas, open the _fucking_ door!" His voice becomes more frantic. Scared like. Nothing he's ever heard before. He hears _one, two, three_ louder booms before the door finally gives way.

**Yupp. Interesting, right? I really hope so. I'm hoping to have updates of each story before I go back to school the 27****th****, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. But like I said, any ideas for **_**Insomnia**_** would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much :)**

**P.S. I intend to finish all my stories... eventually. lol.**


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